In wireless short-range high-data-rate communication, ultra-wideband communications has emerged as the standard of choice. Further, orthogonal frequency division multiplex mode (OFDM) has been applied to the frequency range to divide it into multiple bands. Hence, this ultra wide-band technique has been given the name multiband OFDM or MB-OFDM.
When production tests are performed on ultra-wideband (UWB) tranceivers, the test specification includes bit error rate (BER), sensitivity, “in-band” interference and synchronization. Among these tests for UWB transceivers, the BER test and its tolerance to “in-band”/adjacent channel interference is a critical specification to be met during manufacturing test. In effect, this test is a measure of the quality of the data transmission performance of the transceiver.
Manufacturing test cost of transceivers has become a significant portion of the total manufacturing cost for present-day wireless products. The test cost may amount to as much as 40% of the overall production cost. This is due to the cost of sophisticated test equipment required and the extended length of time needed to perform a BER test on a transceiver. Accordingly, there is a need for a test technique that reduces test time, and there is a need for a less complex and thus less expensive test system.